Faith!

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Faith is so important to a Christian, more so than even most believe. Chapter 11 of Hebrews is called the “Faith Chapter” some call it the “heroes of faith”, but in reality, it is an example of real faith and how it works. God said, “faith is the substance of things hoped for”, but what does that even mean? First, you must define the word “substance” and it means - a setting under – Vines defines it this way, -it has the meaning of "confidence, assurance" the giving substance to – Think of faith as our underlaying foundation. The stranger the faith the stronger they believe God. These folks were not heroes at all, no believer is a hero, Christians are what God makes them by grace. Faith is to a Christian like a foundation is to a house: it gives confidence and assurance that he will stand. Weak faith is like having a foundation built on sand and when the storm of life comes their faith folds like a house on sand and gets washed away. Jesus did not build His church on a small pebble like Peter but built it on a massive bolder in Himself. Jesus is the only foundation that could make the church solid to withstand the storms. The folks mentioned in chapter 11 all had strong faith foundations. Our true faith is confident obedience to God’s Word despite circumstances and consequences. No matter what, their faith in God and God’s word was strong, their faith in God was their unlaying foundation to their accomplishments. The measure of our faith is strength in Him and His word, when the flood water in life come, do we stand strong. In the “dark ages” of history tens of millions of men, women, and children died because of their faith in God. When the storms of persecution came, they did not surrender, they did not lose faith, their house of faith stood strong as they were persecuted and died for their faith in God’s word. Faith is just like everything else, it is only as strong as God give it in grace. Those that have strong faith in the Lord are much blessed of God. Because faith is only as strong as the One giving it. God said, “For by it the elders obtained a good report.” V. 2 by their strong faith, and the stronger and more blessed they were the better report they had from God. God said “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.” Hebrews 10:38 This is why some come and stay a while and retreated, because their faith is not their strong foundation. The words “draw back” means – to cower or to withdraw or apostasy – God has no pleasure in them, because their faith collapsed, or their house built on sand fell. Faith enables Christians to be great Christians in the Lord and His word, pleasing God all the way through life. God also said, “But without faith it is impossible to please him…” every time a Christians faith folds, every time the floods come, and their house collapses God is not pleased. If a Christian is not standing in strong support of God’s word, no matter what, they fail. If we lose sight of Him and His True Being, or if we lose faith in His blessed Word of Truth, if we fail in faith, we fail God. “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” V. 7 Noah never stop building the Ark no matter what, even if he did not clearly understand what a flood was or why he was building the Ark people laughed, God spoke, and he obeyed! The best way to grow in faith is to walk with the faithful, read His word and understand the commandments and to do as God wants. If you do, God will always be pleased with your faith. “And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:” How is your report?

Saints of God and Sin.

“We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.” 1 John 5:18

When God saves a sinner, they are “translated” from Satan’s power to the Power of Jesus Christ. This is called being birthed or being born of God. A soul is changed from being enslaved and controlled by sin to being controlled by the Holy Spirit of God. As children of God, we now belong to the King of kings and the Lord of lords. We are no longer wonders in a lost and dying world, but children of God. We belong to God, He wanted us before the world was ever created, long before anything was created, way back in eternity past when only God existed, He wanted us. Not to be just created beings, but to be His children, to be like unto His True Son Jesus Who is the Christ. When God says we are “born of God” the word “born” means - to procreate – it also means we are “begotten” of God. While a sinner might have been born of a woman, and have an earthly father, those of us who have been saved have been re-born or experienced a second birth. We have been rebirthed by God to be His children. This is what Jesus was explaining to Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews in John 3 when Jesus told him, “…Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” The words “born again” means being born a second time but this time from above. Most people hate this terminology because it is “exclusive” but if it were not for the re-birthing of God, all would be excluded from salvation. The re-birthing is by God’s power, we have nothing to do with it except being blessed by it.

We, as children of God are made holy by the earthly works and blood of Jesus Christ our Saviour. “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;” Hebrews 1:3 Jesus has “purged our sins” meaning He, thru His blood has purified all our sins. This is the reason for the re-birthing, for God to make us as though we have never been sinners. To make us holy as Jesus is Holy, as the Father is Holy, we as children can also be holy. We could never be holy in our natural state because we were born sinners. What a blessing to everyone that God has re-birthed by the power of the Holy Spirt and through His Son Jesus Christ. As children God expects things of us, like recognizing Him as our Father, us wanting to be like Him, and us following His authority and power. If we are “begotten of God” then as children, we are to keep ourselves from sin. This is impossible without the power of God because Satan tempts us, and we simply cannot overpower Satan’s temptations. However, with that said it is our responsibility to our Father because we Reverence Him not to fall into temptation. While our power is limited, we are to resist the devil and his sly temptations. This is not an option; it is a command from our Father. Sometimes some of God’s children treat the commandments of God like options, but commandments are certainly not options. Your Heavenly Father is nothing like your earthly father, your Heavenly Father does not “overlook” your disobedience. He forgives them through the blood of Jesus, but He is never “ok” with disobedience. Sin is the breaking of God’s law, any of God’s commandments broken is sin. God is gracious in that He has forgiven our sins thru the blood sacrifice of Jesus, but please do not mistake that as justification for sinning. God said, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” Revelation 3:19 It is never good to have God our Father chastening us! While we may argue that without the power of God, we cannot resist the temptations and power of Satan, us folding and surrendering is our fault. God said, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 Again this is not by our power, but we must resist Satan with all the power we do have, and God will give us power to succeed. How do we do this, by drawing closer to God. “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” James 4:8 Beloved, sin is not “ok” with the saints of God, if you do not resist Satan you will fall into temptation and God will chasten you.

Walking worthy of the Lord.

“So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:4 - 6

What a blessing in a believer’s life, to “find favour and good understanding in the sight of God”. God gives us grace by His measure of grace, our walk-in life is ordained by God as He ordained for us before the world began. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10 But even though God controls our walk-in life and accomplishments, we need to remember to walk strong for the Lord. Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica, “Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Thessalonians 1:11 -12 Every believer no matter what God has called you to do, ought to do it good enough to find favor in God’s sight by walking worthy of God’s calling. Any Believer that is not walking to please God in every area of their life are not walking worthy of their calling or walking to find favor in God’s sight. The Lord went on to say, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart” We are to trust the Lord with everything we have within us, all faith should be on the Lord. If you look back in the scriptures, you will find those that God blessed the most walked worthy of their calling no matter what that calling was. Moses, look how God used him and blessed him. How about Noah, God blessed him and his family because of his faithfulness. God blesses Enoch by allowing him to escape death, and God said of him “…for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” Hebrews 11:5 Look at Abraham God said of him, “…Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” Not only because Abraham walked worthy of his calling, but he also trusted God with all his heart. We see many of people both men and women that walked worthy of their calling but also showed great faith in God. There is only one way to walk worthy of our calling and that is to trust the Lord with all our hearts. However, this can only be accomplished by “…lean not unto thine own understanding” Our understanding is not God’s understanding, God is always right, and people are always wrong. Our own hearts will always mislead us, our understanding, knowledge, and wisdom must come from God.  God said, “So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels.” Psalms 81:12 but why did God give them up, “But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.” Verse 11. If Christians are not going to walk and be guided by God’s voice (which is His word) then they are going to follow their own understanding. We must realize that the only good in us is what God has graciously put in us. Total depravity means that there is no good in us, we cannot walk own our own understanding. Therefore, so many believers have walked away from the Lord because they follow their own foolish hearts. It is never wise for a believer to think for themselves too much, we will find ourselves falling away from the Lord. The Lord also said “…In all thy ways acknowledge him…” Notice the Lord did not say in some ways but in all our ways “acknowledge him…” because He is directing our path in everything. If we are doing something, if we are accomplishing something, then God is not acknowledged. “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;” Colossians 3:23 That is, in your heart do as the Lord directs you and you will always, please the Lord. It is because of this that the Lord is pleased and because of this that the Lord will bless you. You will find all the people in the scriptures that the Lord talked positive about followed the Lord and not their own understanding. And if we do then God promised, “…he shall direct thy paths.” What a blessing.   

God is our Creator.

Psalms 69:5 “O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee.”

As created creatures we are at the mercy of our Creator. The thing created can never make demands of the one creating it. God asked this question, “Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?” Romans 9:21 Does the vessel maker do as He pleases with the clay?  Then, God went on to ask another question, “And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?”  Romans 9:23 – 24 Then the Lord compared this vessel making to people, therefore, it must be concluded that the “Vessels” that the Lord was talking about were people because He said Jews and Gentiles meaning they were the people in this world. God was asking doesn’t He as Creator have the right to make His created vessels as He chooses? He can make one unto honor and another unto dishonor if He chooses, as He chooses. God can create one vessel to be Abraham and another to be Satan if He chooses. People, and sometimes Christians believe that God somehow owes them something, some believe God should make them happy in life and let no bad come to them. So, let me ask a question, what exactly does God owe us? If God was to give people what they deserve they would all have been created vessels of dishonor, because we were all born in dishonor. The Psalmist wrote, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” Psalms 51:5 This is true of every single soul ever born apart from Jesus the Son of God. When God said He created some vessels of honor He meant He would make them vessels of honor by His mercy and grace. Please understand, God created two souls, Adam and Eve, every other soul was born in sin. God created Adam and Eve as “upright” souls, they became sinful when they disobeyed God. There is no question that God hates sin, but God also hates the workers of sin or sinners. “The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.” Psalms 5:5 Therefore, let us understand that God is not obligated to love no one, He did not have to create any vessels of honor at all. Anything God does for mankind is strictly by mercy and grace. So, those vessels that God elected to make vessels of honor are made or created by God’s gracious hands, so to speak. Listen to God when not only did He save us by grace and not of works, but He also said, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10 This is His creating us His vessels of honor. While we were born sinners, God by His “workmanship, creation” made us what He wanted us to be in life before the creation of the world. Therefore, the Apostle Paul wrote these words, “by the grace of God I am what I am” 1 Cor. 15:10 We must understand that everything God gives is a gift of grace, not a merit payment. We are sinners, even if God makes us vessels of honor, we are still sinners. We must be honest with God and ask His forgiveness of our sins because He knows them. He knows our foolishness, and our sins are open to Him, but through grace He forgives our sins and our foolishness. God doesn’t have to forgive us; He chooses too because He is a merciful and gracious Creator. The Psalmist pleaded with the Lord in, Psalms 51:9 - 12 "Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit." He knows God did not owe him anything, he was asking God for grace. God knows our foolishness; He sees everything and knows even our thoughts. But He chooses to forgive us. So, no matter where the Lord leads us it is what the Potter has ordained for us, let us all walk in that ordained path thanking God, He chose it for us, no matter what road the path is. God knows what our needs are, and He will supply those needs, making demands of God will only get you a no answer for your requested demands. Let us remember in hard and needful times as the Psalmist did, “Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful. The LORD preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me. Psalms 116:5 – 6